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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The Artist is a love letter and homage to classic black-and-white silent films. The film is enormously likable and is anchored by a charming performance from Jean Dujardin, as silent movie star George Valentin. In late-1920s Hollywood, as Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he makes an intense connection with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break. As one career declines, another flourishes, and by channeling elements of A Star Is Born and Singing in the Rain, The Artist tells the engaging story with humor, melodrama, romance, and--most importantly--silence. As wonderful as the performances by Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo (Miller) are, the real star of The Artist is cinematographer Guillaume Schiffman. Visually, the film is stunning. Crisp and beautifully contrasted, each frame is so wonderfully constructed that this sweet and unique little movie is transformed from entertaining fluff to a profound cinematic achievement. --Kira Canny
Product Description
Hollywood 1927. George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a silent movie superstar. The advent of the talkies will sound the death knell for his career and see him fall into oblivion. For young extra Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), it seems the sky's the limit - major movie stardom awaits. The Artist tells the story of their interlinked destinies.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
129 of 142 people found the following review helpful
By M. Bullions
Format:DVD
I respond to hype involving movies in a variety of different ways. If I get all excited about a film months before its release, I often find myself being disappointed with the film's final product. I saw a trailer for "The Artist" months back, and didn't think much of it, because I didn't know much about it. I had seen reviews and award acclaim for Michel Hazanavicius's "The Artist", and wanted to give it a shot. On account of the limited theatrical release that the film got, I found myself venturing toward the bad part of town the night before it happened to win the Golden Globe for best picture, and oh, was it worth it.
"The Artist" is everything you could possibly want it to be. The story isn't anything revolutionary or surprising, but it really doesn't have to be. In case you have somehow not heard of this film yet, it is a silent film that is set in 1927, at the height of the silent movie era. It follows George Valentin, an actor who has had a great deal of success in silent film. The film follows the years where the film industry is moving into "talkies", where he finds his success is dwindling. He falls hard for Peppy Miller, an actress who is just breaking into the business. This story lasts over the span of maybe ten years.
While up until now, Hollywood has widely forgotten about the silent film era, the style of the film feels kind of experimental to a moviegoer of my generation. The film is a beautiful love letter to this period of film which we all have forgotten about. It makes me think that actors, writers, directors...everybody had to work a lot harder in that generation. It's hard to write a universally appealing story with no dialogue.
Style is a big deal, camera angles, and lighting are critical. I'm glad this one was released after I took my first Film Studies course at college, because there's a good chance a film like this would have slipped through my fingers otherwise. I learned about the silent film era, and found that there were twice as many flops as there were hits, in those days. This film could not have worked in those days, since it is clearly about the silent film era. However, I appreciate the little hidden history lesson that this film offered.
In a film with no dialogue, actors have to have very expressive faces, they have to be able to emote, which is also something that a wide amount of today's actors and actresses have forgotten how to do. Jean Dujardin's George Valentin is wonderful. His infectious smile is a big reason why the film works. It's the same deal with Berenice Bejo. The two actors have phenomenal chemistry, and that's enough to carry this, even if it were a bad film.
Like I said, this film's storyline is nothing new. It's the classic story of the Hollywood big cheese who helps the beautiful young starlet in her rise to fame. The film works because it's a story that can be shown in any country, in any language, and it would still be relevant. It's universal in a way that I didn't expect. The film doesn't use the titles that silent films are known for too much. There are titles, but they are used sparingly, only when they need it. That was a very good thing. For a film that's so strictly about filmmaking technique, being shot in glorious black and white, with a 4x3 aspect ratio, it's quite affecting. I give most of the credit to the actors, the extraordinary musical score by Ludovic Bource, and the direction. This was clearly a labor of love, and it pays off in a big way.
Grade: A
"The Artist" is everything you could possibly want it to be. The story isn't anything revolutionary or surprising, but it really doesn't have to be. In case you have somehow not heard of this film yet, it is a silent film that is set in 1927, at the height of the silent movie era. It follows George Valentin, an actor who has had a great deal of success in silent film. The film follows the years where the film industry is moving into "talkies", where he finds his success is dwindling. He falls hard for Peppy Miller, an actress who is just breaking into the business. This story lasts over the span of maybe ten years.
While up until now, Hollywood has widely forgotten about the silent film era, the style of the film feels kind of experimental to a moviegoer of my generation. The film is a beautiful love letter to this period of film which we all have forgotten about. It makes me think that actors, writers, directors...everybody had to work a lot harder in that generation. It's hard to write a universally appealing story with no dialogue.
Style is a big deal, camera angles, and lighting are critical. I'm glad this one was released after I took my first Film Studies course at college, because there's a good chance a film like this would have slipped through my fingers otherwise. I learned about the silent film era, and found that there were twice as many flops as there were hits, in those days. This film could not have worked in those days, since it is clearly about the silent film era. However, I appreciate the little hidden history lesson that this film offered.
In a film with no dialogue, actors have to have very expressive faces, they have to be able to emote, which is also something that a wide amount of today's actors and actresses have forgotten how to do. Jean Dujardin's George Valentin is wonderful. His infectious smile is a big reason why the film works. It's the same deal with Berenice Bejo. The two actors have phenomenal chemistry, and that's enough to carry this, even if it were a bad film.
Like I said, this film's storyline is nothing new. It's the classic story of the Hollywood big cheese who helps the beautiful young starlet in her rise to fame. The film works because it's a story that can be shown in any country, in any language, and it would still be relevant. It's universal in a way that I didn't expect. The film doesn't use the titles that silent films are known for too much. There are titles, but they are used sparingly, only when they need it. That was a very good thing. For a film that's so strictly about filmmaking technique, being shot in glorious black and white, with a 4x3 aspect ratio, it's quite affecting. I give most of the credit to the actors, the extraordinary musical score by Ludovic Bource, and the direction. This was clearly a labor of love, and it pays off in a big way.
Grade: A
61 of 68 people found the following review helpful
By Wileyboy
Format:DVD
It is a masterful movie-maker who can take a simple story (much less a silent one) and captivate an audience. That "The Artist" is so straight-forward is itself a tribute to the old adage that any story can capture the imagination, it just must be true to the soul. The genius here is that you are totally drawn into this world in near totality by the expressions on the actors' faces. It belies the fact that the silent film is indeed a lost art and we are fortunate to have it re-introduced to the main-stream in such a glorious fashion.
But first things first, this is *not* a stodgy, stick-in-the mud film. "The Artist" is at times laugh-out-loud, and then is equally engrossing as an emotional hay-maker. If you are expecting a dull yawn-fest, go see the latest CGI-laden summer film. But if in the the best sense you want to be captivated by a film, see "The Artist".
Without any giveaways, the story here involves an aging film star who is being left behind by the rise of the sound-age of film. Right behind him is a rising starlet who is excelling in the sound age. It is their story to tell: his from the perspective of the slide down and hers from the climb up. There is great supporting work as well, including a delightful little doggy who is essentially the side-kick to our hero. But it is lead actor Jean Dujardin who rightly "steals" the picture with his breath-taking emotional range.
Also a delight are the little scenes we as an audience identify with as true-isms: the bits of film magic that stick with you long after you leave the theater. The rising starlet using our hero's jacket in a pantomime, reflecting her awe and love of him, is the perfect example. But what tops it all in my mind are those moments where "The Artist" blends old-fashioned movie staples into itself and makes you want to cheer, though you know it's been done a thousand times before. An example being the aforementioned doggy as hero at one point. It is this homage to old films that makes you smile - the director is so skillful at it, he creates his own legitimate, unique and praise-worthy old-Hollywood world without it feeling stale in the least. In fact, it is as refreshing to watch as anything else you will see this year or any other.
"The Artist" is the best of what movies should be: good storytelling that makes it look easy.
But first things first, this is *not* a stodgy, stick-in-the mud film. "The Artist" is at times laugh-out-loud, and then is equally engrossing as an emotional hay-maker. If you are expecting a dull yawn-fest, go see the latest CGI-laden summer film. But if in the the best sense you want to be captivated by a film, see "The Artist".
Without any giveaways, the story here involves an aging film star who is being left behind by the rise of the sound-age of film. Right behind him is a rising starlet who is excelling in the sound age. It is their story to tell: his from the perspective of the slide down and hers from the climb up. There is great supporting work as well, including a delightful little doggy who is essentially the side-kick to our hero. But it is lead actor Jean Dujardin who rightly "steals" the picture with his breath-taking emotional range.
Also a delight are the little scenes we as an audience identify with as true-isms: the bits of film magic that stick with you long after you leave the theater. The rising starlet using our hero's jacket in a pantomime, reflecting her awe and love of him, is the perfect example. But what tops it all in my mind are those moments where "The Artist" blends old-fashioned movie staples into itself and makes you want to cheer, though you know it's been done a thousand times before. An example being the aforementioned doggy as hero at one point. It is this homage to old films that makes you smile - the director is so skillful at it, he creates his own legitimate, unique and praise-worthy old-Hollywood world without it feeling stale in the least. In fact, it is as refreshing to watch as anything else you will see this year or any other.
"The Artist" is the best of what movies should be: good storytelling that makes it look easy.
53 of 60 people found the following review helpful
By flapjackjoe
Format:Blu-ray
In an era where we rely heavily on CGI and 3D to wow us, this movie takes us back to a time when acting was truly an art, men were gentlemen, women were proper, and moviegoing was a theatrical and magical experience. Gone are the days when we can get into our Sunday best and spend an evening at the theater for a movie and a live show. Nowadays, anyone can catch a flick at 10am 7 days a week wearing their jammies, and often being the sole soul in the theater.
Spoiler: this is a silent movie. Sorry if I've lost your attention already. But hear me out. True, this is one of your "been there, done that - married boy meets single girl, married boy falls in love with single girl, married boy can't have single girl, single girl moves on, and there is still a happy ending" story. But it's not the story that makes this movie - it's the way the story is told that makes this movie revolutionary and epic. Jean's and Bérénice's pure, raw emotion, in addition to a stellar soundtrack, tell the entire story without the need for schnazzy graphics or complex plot. Dialogue is only displayed on screen maybe less that twenty times. The rest of the story is told entirely through kinesics, which is relayed via stellar acting.
I don't usually go see a movie in the theaters twice. I will see it once, and if it's good enough to see again will wait until it comes out on Blu Ray. But this movie...I even convinced by buddy, who had zero interest in seeing the movie and hadn't even heard of it, to go see it, and he loved it.
The score is also worth picking up. Yes, it's 100% instrumental. But 50% of the meaning of the movie is through this score! Even if you've not seen the movie, it's written so well that you can feel the emotion just by sitting back and closing your eyes while listening to it.
I can only hope that we begin to see more silent movies like this.
Spoiler: this is a silent movie. Sorry if I've lost your attention already. But hear me out. True, this is one of your "been there, done that - married boy meets single girl, married boy falls in love with single girl, married boy can't have single girl, single girl moves on, and there is still a happy ending" story. But it's not the story that makes this movie - it's the way the story is told that makes this movie revolutionary and epic. Jean's and Bérénice's pure, raw emotion, in addition to a stellar soundtrack, tell the entire story without the need for schnazzy graphics or complex plot. Dialogue is only displayed on screen maybe less that twenty times. The rest of the story is told entirely through kinesics, which is relayed via stellar acting.
I don't usually go see a movie in the theaters twice. I will see it once, and if it's good enough to see again will wait until it comes out on Blu Ray. But this movie...I even convinced by buddy, who had zero interest in seeing the movie and hadn't even heard of it, to go see it, and he loved it.
The score is also worth picking up. Yes, it's 100% instrumental. But 50% of the meaning of the movie is through this score! Even if you've not seen the movie, it's written so well that you can feel the emotion just by sitting back and closing your eyes while listening to it.
I can only hope that we begin to see more silent movies like this.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
loved it
great movie-I did not think I would-but-even without words the movie was very interesting-acting was excellent-bought two for my rental condos in fla
Published 5 days ago by william osche
3.0 out of 5 stars
Better than okay
I ordered this movie because, I believe, it won an Academy Award. I enjoyed watching it but hadn't realized that it was essentially a silent movie and I really don't like silent... Read more
Published 12 days ago by M. E. Sheehy
5.0 out of 5 stars
EXCELLENT IDEA & PRODUCTION!
Agreed with every award it won. I may be biased since my friend from Jr College was the assistant costume designer on this but it held it's own without her. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Deborah L. Earl
2.0 out of 5 stars
You have to give them credit
Forget making a mere black and white today - it takes real bravado to make a silent film for the mainstream market. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Leopold Bloom
5.0 out of 5 stars
A GIFT
A gift for my parents, with whom I first watched it (they're in their late 80s, now); so evocative of early films & film making. We all loved it.
Published 26 days ago by Holly Quinn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Passionate Even For 2012!
This film was so moving and emotionally raw. I absolutely loved it and it is one of my favorite movies of all time. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Marypat
1.0 out of 5 stars
terrible
wasted my money. I should have known it was a loser when a friend, I sometime question their intelligence, made the recommendation.
Published 1 month ago by D. Barn
5.0 out of 5 stars
loved it
This movie stayed in the old silent movie story line. The charters will have you rutting for them and the acting was great!
Published 1 month ago by Tabby
5.0 out of 5 stars
great movie
Highly suggested....a remake of an old movie. Watched this with some deaf friends (by the way - this movie is totally silent).
Published 1 month ago by Paula Necaise
3.0 out of 5 stars
Overadted
Did not feel the story had depth. Liked the dancing. Would not watch it again. Gave it to my granddaughter.
Published 1 month ago by Twinnie
